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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Professional / Clinical responsibilities:

• To take clinical responsibility / have clinical oversight for the occupational therapy  provided to patients within their own homes or community.
• To respect patients' dignity, privacy, culture and wishes during treatment, with a commitment to equal access to occupational therapy.
• To undertake advanced, specialist assessments of patients with a wide range of acquired physical and cognitive impairments arising from Stroke who may have multiple pathologies and complex needs, including end of life conditions, in order to determine the occupational therapy intervention needed.
• To plan, develop and implement individually tailored programmes of treatment that are patient-centred.
• To work collaboratively with patients, carers, members of the multidisciplinary team and external agencies to ensure a co-ordinated approach to service delivery, appreciating the roles of all partners.
• To communicate with all appropriate people and organisations to provide and receive all relevant information pertaining to each patient ensuring holistic and informed care.
• To maintain good working links and liaise with GPs and Social Services and all relevant others involved with each patient’s care, ensuring consultation, feedback and discharge communication.
• To attend case conferences and other meetings, as appropriate.

• To communicate and negotiate with individual patients and all those involved in the patient's care, to ensure that occupational therapy is effective.

• To maintain a highly skilled clinical interest and expertise in Stroke.
• Using national standards and guidance to contribute to the development of new ways of working with this patient group.
• To ensure a high standard of clinical practice is maintained, keeping up to date with clinical developments and only undertaking treatment modalities in which trained and competent.
• To help triage, prioritise and organise own caseload.
• To support the service's commitment to meeting patient needs and to delivering excellence.
• It is essential the post holder is able to work their hours flexibly and to contribute fully to service development.
• To work with agile working devices within community settings.

Management and Leadership:

• To be responsible for prioritising and managing own workload including arrangements for cover during planned absence.
• To take a lead role in prioritisation and referrals management and allocations in Lambeth.
• To help support patient flow into and out of our service.
• To take part in internal and external working parties to develop clinical and policy changes within the wider Community Stroke and Neurorehabilitation Service. This may involve being the lead occupational therapy contributor.
• To advise on and implement policy development and changes within the Stroke Pathway.
• To organise and manage appropriate delegation of tasks to Band 6 Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Apprentice, Assistant and Rehabilitation Support Workers, as well as requirements to line manage and clinically supervise these staff groups.
• To provide accurate and complete data for audit and evaluation purposes.
• To attend all appropriate team meetings and take the lead on specific topics within those meetings as required.
• To participate in the Trust appraisal scheme.
• To assist in the day to day management of staff in the team.
• To participate in the recruitment and selection of staff as required.
• To act as lead health professional for clients as required. This may mean initiating and co-ordinating multidisciplinary/multiagency meetings, liaising with clients and families, initiating joint therapy goals and referral on to other agencies.
• To support the attainment of the services activity targets, including supporting to deliver group based therapy, for example post-Stroke fatigue management. This may be in-person, virtual or both.
• To work closely and collaborate with peers, including another Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist in the Community Stroke Team.

Information management:

• To keep accurate written records of assessment and treatment accordance with standards set and to input data into the electronic patient care notes system.
• To record and return timely and accurate statistical data as required by the department, community directorate and the Trust.
• To ensure that patient diary appointments are booked and outcomed on time on our electronic patient system.
• To follow and adhere to our trust policy on Information Governance.

Education & Professional Development:

• To plan, organise and deliver training to all grades of Occupational Therapy students through in-service training, supervision, joint working, practical demonstrations, video analysis etc.
• As a Clinical Educator, to provide a high standard of Occupational Therapy training for students on placement. To co-ordinate and manage individual student placements, which may include Masters level students, as allocated. To liaise with university staff as relevant to the student placement.
• To give formal and informal training and presentations to others both within and external to the organisation.
• To maintain and record ongoing professional development, through formal peer review and using a professional portfolio
• To attend professional body / clinical interest group meetings as appropriate.
• To read relevant journals and research papers and participate in appropriate work related research/evaluation projects. Meet with AHP Consultant Lead to support with the development and progression of quality improvement projects.
• To attend training courses, participate in experiential learning as identified in Personal Development Plan and impart information to colleagues.
• To participate in regular line management supervision with Deputy Clinical Lead for Community Stroke Team and regular clinical supervision with Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist within the wider service.